Legat Architects’ Rob Wroble and Catherine Varnas Volunteer Design for Outdoor Education Center
[Naperville, IL] – Though a 100 foot by 60 foot plot of land in front of Ranch View Elementary School has some nice trees, it remains mostly unused.
Ranch View principal Suzanne Salness, equipped with research about the many benefits of outdoor learning, had long wanted to transform that plot into outdoor classrooms.
Architect Rob Wroble, whose daughters attend Ranch View, got wind of this. Wroble, associate director of PreK-12 education at Legat Architects, volunteered his talents to give that underused plot a makeover. He led two brainstorming meetings with school administrators. Then Rob and coworker Catherine Varnas created concepts for an Outdoor Education Center that supports the school’s curriculum and preserves all the trees.
They sketched a plan, developed computerized renderings, and even built a model of the proposed space.
Salness said, “We’re thrilled that Rob and Legat joined us as a business partner for this hands-on learning space that includes areas for Art, Music, PE, Social/Emotional Learning, the Social Sciences, and Literacy.”
The school is now raising funds for an anticipated summer 2016 construction.
Circles and Curves: About the Outdoor Education Center
The concept features a series of circular activity areas. Each has an existing tree at its center. Some circles have grass, while others have brick pavers or concrete. The circles offer opportunities for experiments, discussions, art, and play. At the southeast edge of the site, there’s also a “remembrance garden” with memorials.
“We’re not trying to mandate what happens within the circles,” said Wroble. “The plan gives Ranch View teachers flexibility to apply different teaching methods and respond to different learning styles while offering students a variety of environments to explore.”
The plan calls for a wire mesh growing wall attached to the school, as well as raised planters and a donor paver pathway that leads to the activity areas. A curving element that flows on the west side of the plot includes masonry seating walls and plantings that define the edge of the Outdoor Leaning Center.
Ranch View also plans to make the outdoor space a community asset.
“This is an active neighborhood with everyone from young families to seniors who enjoy spending time outside,” said Salness. “The Outdoor Education Center will be a resource for them and a great way to strengthen the school/community bond.”
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